As an airbag for restraining the head of a vehicle occupant, there is known an airbag (curtain airbag) that is disposed in the vicinity of a corner portion in a vehicle cabin, in which a ceiling portion and a side face portion thereof intersect, and is configured so as to be inflated along a side door window or the like by means of gas introduced through a gas introduction port.
In a vehicle equipped with a vehicle occupant restraint apparatus having such a curtain airbag, in the event that the vehicle suffers a side collision, a lateral overturn, or the like, the curtain airbag is inflated toward a lower position of the vehicle body along a side face (for example, a door, a pillar, or the like) in the vehicle cabin to restrain the head of an occupant.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-34209, there is described that a cloth (called “support portion” in the bulletin) separated from an airbag is provided in an outdoor side face of the curtain airbag on its rear end side. The support portion restricts the movement of the inflated airbag to the outside of the vehicle.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-97171, there is described that a guide plate (called “jump board” in the bulletin) for guiding the expansion of a curtain airbag is provided to a roof side rail to prevent the curtain airbag from interfering with an upper portion of a C-pillar garnish when it is inflated.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-34209
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-97171
If a support portion composed of a cloth separated from an airbag is attached to the airbag, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-34209, the weight and the folded volume of the airbag become large in vain.